Utilizing interfaces, unlocking keys, and allocating assignments

Here is the code snippet in question:

interface Config1 { A: string; N: number; }
interface Config2 { B: string; N: number; }

interface Config extends Config1, Config2 { }

const config: Partial<Config> = {};
const keys: Array<keyof Config> = ["A", "B", "N"];

const key = keys[0];
config['A'] = 'abc';
config[key] = 'abc';

Playground

I am puzzled as to why TypeScript is rejecting the last line of code:

Type '"abc"' is not assignable to type 'undefined'.

Answer №1

TypeScript's error message in this scenario leaves much to be desired:

  • Trying to assign a string to undefined: Type '"abc"' is not assignable to type 'undefined'.
  • Trying to assign a number to undefined: Type '3' is not assignable to type 'undefined'.

The error detection, however, seems accurate. Let me break it down with some annotated source code to clarify the situation:

// Adding these for debugging purposes
const key = keys[0];
const a = config['A'];
const b = config[key];

// Checking types for better understanding
type K = typeof key; // "A"
type A = typeof a; // string | undefined
type B = typeof b; // string | number | undefined

// 1. It's fine to assign a string to the key 'A'
config['A'] = 'abc';

// 2. When accessing an object using index signature, you could get undefined
config['A'] = undefined;

// 3. ERROR: Number assignment is not allowed because when the key is 'A', the expected value is a string
config['A'] = 3;

// 4. ERROR: TypeScript recognizes that key could be 'A' and others, hence it's uncertain whether a number or string is the correct value
config[key] = 'abc';

// 5. Same issue as point 2
config[key] = undefined;

// 6. Similar problem as point 4
config[key] = 3;

You can experiment with this on the playground.

If you modify your keys array to:

const keys = ["A", "B", "N"] as const;

The type of K will now be narrowed down to just "A" instead of

"A" | "N" | "B" 
:

type K = typeof key; // "A"

Consequently, you'll encounter errors that align with your expectations:

  • Attempting to assign a number to a string: Type 'number' is not assignable to type 'string'.

Answer №2

Explanation

The nature of the keys determines that keys[0] in Typescript can be any key from the Config object (typeof keys[0] remains as keyof Config == 'A' | 'B' | 'N').

Therefore, it is expected that the value assigned to your object config: Partial<Config> satisfies all possible values simultaneously.

In this scenario, using Partial<Config>, the expected values are the intersection between string | undefined and number | undefined. Consequently, the only common type is undefined.

It should be noted that without Partial<Config>, the expected values would represent the intersection between string and

number</code), which do not intersect and result in the type <code>never
(accepting no values).

Solution

If your array of keys remains constant and unchanging, One solution may involve defining keys as follows:

const keys = ["A", "B", "N"] as const;
This approach enables typescript to understand the precise value of keys[0], allowing for accurate typing of the expected value.

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